Draft-gear.



H. c. PHIEB.

DR'AFT GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 16. |916..

Patented May 6, 1919.

vllNmml; L

FTC

HERMAN C. PRIEBE, UF BLUE ISLAND, ILLINOIS.

DRAFT-GEAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 6, 1919.

Application led. October 16, 1916. Serial No. 125,766.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERMAN C. Pinnen, a citizen of the United States, residing at Blue Island, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Draft-Gears, of whichthe following is a full, clear, concise, and eX- act description, reference vbeing' had to the accompanying drawings, `forming a part of this specification. y

My invention relates to draft gears employed for coupling" railway vehicles and which includes mechanism for absorbing or reducing buffing and pulling shocks. One feature of my present invention relates to the shock absorbing means andresides in an improved mounting therefor whereby the shock absorbing means may be assembled with and supported by the center sill or draft sill structure or other part of the car ybody independently of the coupling mechanism so that this assembly may be maintained in the event of removal of the coupling mechanism, which is some times accidental. Another feature of my invention resides in the provision of a swinging or oscillating mounting for the shock absorbing means whereby it may accompany the coupling mechanism in the movements of the latter and be ready in `all positions of the coupling mechanism to function.

Another feature of my invention resides in an improved assembly of the center sill structure of a car body, the buiiing plate or block or abutment, and the coupler yoke of a draft gear.

I will explain my invention more fully by reference to the occompanying drawing showing the preferred embodiment thereof and in which Figure 1 is a sectional plan view taken generally on line 1-1 of Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation taken generally on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken generally on line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Like parts are indicated by similar characters of reference throughout the different figures.

The coupler 1 includes a shank 2, which is connected with a yoke structure in a manner later to be set forth, theJ sides of the yoke structure shown being in the form of straps 3 through which openings 4 and 5 are provided for the reception of keys 6 and 7, the former of which constitutes a form of follower, the openings permitting the keys to move inwardly with respect to the yoke when the couplerl is subject to a sufficient pushing strain. The keys also project through openings 8 and 9 in the cheek plates 1() and 111 which are secured to the center sills 12 and 13, the openings 9 registering with the openings 5 and corresponding openings in the center sills when the gear is not under stress, the openings 8 similarly registering with the openings 4 and similar openingsin the center sills.

Cotter pins 14 may be employed to prevent the withdrawal of the keys from the slots in the center sills that receive them. The yoke straps or sides 3 are disposed side by side so as to lie in the same general hori- Zontal plane, in the construction shown in the drawing, but irrespective of the disposi tion of these yoke sidesthe inner end ofthe yoke is slotted to form aninwardly projecting fork 31 open at its inner end, the buiiing block or abutment 15 (acting also as a support for the inner end of the coupler yoke) being received between the sides of the fork 31, this assembly permitting outward with drawing movement of the coupler yoke without requiring `the removal of the buiiing block or abutment 15. The fork structure 31 enables me to place either side of the yoke structureon top. The buHing block or abutment is of heavy construction and is preferably arranged to float slightly about vin pockets 16 formed in the cheek plates and closed at their outer ends by the center sills 12 and 13, though I do not wish to be limited to the total location of the bufling blocks between the center sills nor to the factthat they may move about between the center sills. As shown, the center sill 12 includes a section 121 that is riveted to the balance of the center sill, the section121 closing the outer end of one of the pockets 16 after the abutment 15 has been passed endwise through this pocket into the other pocket. I prefer to permit the abutment 15 to move about between the center sills since the cheek plates may be located upon the center sills independently of each other and without regard to the alinement of the rivet holes in each center sill with the rivet holes in the other center sill, the abutment 15 shifting about to accommodate itself to the relative positions of the cheek plates.

The buing1 mechanism illustrated is one which is in the form of spring mechanism, the form of buffer shown including two springs 17 and 18, each formed of a plurality of spring plates ory leaves, -which are spaced apart by spacers 19 and which are maintained in assembly by bolts 2O.A As illustrated the means for suspending the bufng mechanism from the car body resides in Va sleeve 21 extending transversely between the sills at the upper portions'thereof, this sleeve being` Aheld in place by means of a bolt key 22; Vhen the supporting device 21 is located at the upper part of the center sill structure the upper distance piece 19 rests thereupon and the bufing mechanism depends from the support. This buiiing mechanism is disposed in an upright position andl passes between the inner end of the coupler yoke and the follower 6.

The yoke structure and the spring bufiing mechanism illustrated are assembled when the follower key 6 is not present in the structure, the coupled buiiing springs 17, 18 being passed from beneath upwardly .until the upper distance piece 19 is above the location of the support 21, this supportbeing passed between the springs 17 and 18 and belowy the upper distance piece 19 after the buer springs have been located as described. After the buffer springs have been vthus suspended upon the support 21 the tapered end of the follower key 6 isinserted between the outer buffer spring 17 and the base of the slot at the inner end of the coupler shank 2 where-after the follower key 6 is driven'into place'by means of a Sledge hammer So that the pair of springs 17, 18 will be under tension, pressing with heavy spring pressure respectively upon the fol- Copies of this patent may be obtained for lower key 6 and the inner end of the coupler yoke. Y

Y While I have herein Shown and particularly described the preferred embodiment of my ,invention I do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction shown as changes may readily be made without departing from the spirit of my invention, but having thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent the following 1. A draft gear including a coupler having a coupler yoke, and a iloating support for the inner end of the coupler yoke from which the yoke is disengageable by outward movement thereof.

2. A draft gear includinga coupler having a coupler yoke provided with an inwardly projecting fork upon'its inner end and a iioating support for the inner end of the coupler yoke engaged between the arms of said fork.

3. A draft gear including a coupler having a coupler yoke, an abutment for engaging the inner end of the coupler yoke and from which the yoke is disengageable by outward movement thereof, and supporting pockets for the abutment in which the end portions of the abutment are free to shift.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this tenth day of October A. D., 1916.

HERMAN o. PRIEBE.

Witnesses G. W. GRAGG, ETTA L.VWH1TE.

iive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

